10 Ways to Encourage Your Husband

wedding photo taken by Kent Mast

Part of our jobs as wives is to support and encourage our husbands 24/7, even when we don't feel like it. I'll be the first to say that I don't always do a great job at encouraging my husband, I get lazy and just tired. But that shouldn't be an excuse. If I am constantly encouraging Seth, he will be able to live up to the man God created him to be. And by encouraging our husbands, we are living up to that role of a helper to our husbands, like God created us to be in Genesis 2. If you are out of ideas for how to encourage your husband, I've put together @@a list of 10 things that you can do to encourage and support your husband.@@

Ways to Encourage Your husband

1. Pray For Him (with him)

Prayer is a powerful thing and so, so important. Honestly, I'm not the best at being intentional about prayer but I am trying to get better by keeping a prayer journal. Talk to God about your husband, pray that God would help your husband be the spiritual leader in your home, that God would bless your husband, that your husband would prosper at work, and that your husband would have the power to resist sexual temptations (that last one may sound odd but it is vital. Too many homes are broken by sexual temptations and porn so pray for your husband's power to resist it). I found this 30 Day Prayer Challenge for Your Husband from iBelieve and I'm going to be doing it through the month of November, this is a great resource if you want to be more intentional about praying for your husband. Also pray with your husband so that you can encourage each other.

2. Find and Give Him Scriptures

This is a fun one! Search through the Bible and pray that God would point out verses to encourage your husband with. Then write out each verse on a notecard and stick the notecard in his lunch, on his car dashboard, on his pillow, etc.

3. Do a Bible Study Together

There are many great resources out there for husband and wife Bible studies, if you're struggling to find one I encourage you ask your pastor for recommendations, they are always up to date on the latest ones and the best ones. While doing research for this post I came across The Love Dare Day by Day: A Year of Devotions for Couples and it looks fantastic. I've read The Love Dare and that was great so I have no doubts that this book will be encouraging to both of you.

4. Regularly Tell Him You Love Him

I know I sometimes forget to say "I love you" on a regular basis because I figure that he already knows it. But that's not the best attitude to have and I know I'm not alone in that. Send him little texts throughout the day simply saying "I love you!" I guarantee that he will find it encouraging.

5. Say "Thank You"

Tell your husband thank you for working hard, thank him for doing the dishes, thank him for changing the baby's diaper. Thank him even if it's an expected task that he's completed. And if he's struggling and not doing much that deserves a thank you, say thank you anyways. He will instantly be encouraged to that task again and he'll know that you're on his team.

6. Tell Him You Appreciate Him

Instead of only saying, "I love you" tell him, "I appreciate you." Men have this natural desire within them to feel appreciated, that's what drives them to work hard. It's a simple phrase that is easy to overlook but it is seriously important. Like I said in saying thank you, he will instantly be encouraged when you say, "I appreciate you" and he will be encouraged to work hard and be a better man.

8. Send Him Texts Throughout the Day

Let him know that you are thinking about him as you go about your day. If he knows you are thinking about him, he'll be encouraged to work hard and be awesome (and maybe encouraged to come home from work a little bit early if you know what I mean *wink*wink*). You don't have to get fancy and write out long love letters in each text, you can if you want to, but I know I don't have time for that. Just let him know that you love him, appreciate him, or tell him thank you for doing something.

9. Write Him an Old-Fashioned Love Letter

Seth and I wrote each other so many notes when we were dating in high school (I guess technically we only ever "dated" while I was still in high school because just a month and a half into my first year of college we got engaged). I mean like a lot. We were a little bit obsessive but we've matured a bit since then (ha). But that doesn't mean that we still shouldn't write each other those silly and sweet little notes. I actually wrote my wedding vows like I was writing Seth a note, I wrote them on notebook paper with different colored markers and heart doodles around the edges. In the photo to the left you can kind of see what I mean.

10. Ask Him What You Can Do For Him

In order to help someone we need to know what they need help with, right? And since we were designed to be helpers to our husbands, we need to ask them what we can do for them. He may say he needs his laundry done or he may say he needs prayer. Fulfill that role as his helper by doing whatever he needs.